Prosecutors in the New York trial of former President Donald Trump said that they will not call any other witnesses as former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen testifies in the case.
“First of all, we had indicated that there was a potential that we would call another witness, that was going to be another book publisher, but we’ve decided that we really don’t need to do that,” Manhattan District Attorney Joshua Steinglass said. “So, Mr. Cohen will be the last witness.”
Todd Blanche, the lead Trump attorney, told the judge that they expect their cross-examination of Mr. Cohen to take up most of the day on Thursday. The court isn’t meeting on Friday.
The attorney added that the defense plans to call up one expert witness but gave no indication as to whether President Trump would testify.
“And maybe not,” Mr. Blanche said. “Honestly, judge, depending on how that conversation goes, because of the limited nature of his testimony, we may not call him.”
Previously, the former president said he would be willing to take the stand, but he later said that he wouldn’t do so due to a gag order that was imposed on him in March. A day later, Judge Juan Merchan told President Trump that he is able to testify in the case and isn’t limited by the gag order.
On Tuesday, Mr. Cohen was asked about multiple social media comments that he made that insulted President Trump and suggested that he is motivated by a personal animus against his former boss.
Mr. Cohen, who spent more than a decade working as President Trump’s attorney, answered prosecutors’ questions for about nine hours on the witness stand on Monday and Tuesday. He testified that President Trump allegedly told him to pay adult film performer Stormy Daniels in 2016 to stay quiet about an alleged 2006 affair, which the former president denied.
Mr. Blanche also suggested Mr. Cohen was motivated by money, revenge, and notoriety rather than justice, asking Mr. Cohen about the millions of dollars he earned from two tell-all memoirs and the millions of subscribers to his frequently anti-Trump podcast.
The defense showed jurors pictures of Trump-related merchandise for sale on Mr. Cohen’s website, including mugs reading, “Send him to the big house, not the White House.”
During testimony on Monday, Mr. Cohen said in October 2016 that he learned Ms. Daniels was shopping her allegations about President Trump to tabloids. “He said to me, ‘This is a disaster, a total disaster. Women are going to hate me,’” Mr. Cohen told jurors about what President Trump allegedly said.
Mr. Cohen testified that he was solely concerned about the impact the Daniels allegations could have on his White House bid. The former president’s lawyers have said that he was concerned about the effect the claims would have on his family.
Under New York law, falsifying business records can be elevated from a misdemeanor to a felony if the crime helped conceal another offense. In President Trump’s case, prosecutors have argued the payment was effectively a secret contribution to his campaign, violating federal and state laws.
The former president has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and on Tuesday, he said that the payment to Mr. Cohen was a mere legal expense. He accused prosecutors and the judge of using the trial to keep him off the 2024 presidential campaign trail, where he is the leading Republican candidate.
The Manhattan trial is considered less consequential than three other criminal prosecutions President Trump faces, all of which are mired in delays.
The other cases charge President Trump with illegally trying to overturn the 2020 election results and mishandling classified documents after leaving office. President Trump pleaded not guilty to all three.
